To call it an experiment would be incorrect (you are doing a demonstration!) but no matter what you call it, an explosion is a great way to have fun with SCIENCE! Whether you're looking for a science fair project or you want to just have some fun and use your brain, we've got several ideas and instructions for different types of explosions below. Just get started with Step 1!

Steps

Method1

For Kids

Using Elephant Toothpaste

1

Pour some hydrogen peroxide into a soda bottle. Get a large 2 liter (0.5 US gal) soda bottle and pour in some hydrogen peroxide.[1] The stronger (high concentration or percentage) the hydrogen peroxide you use, the bigger the explosion will be...but be careful: hydrogen peroxide can easily burn you! When you pour it in, use a funnel and get help from an adult.

A 30% hydrogen peroxide will be needed to make the most impressive explosion, but you'll definitely need an adult to help you with this.

2

Add some dish soap. Pour a tablespoon or two of liquid dish soap into the soda bottle.

3

Add some food coloring. Add a healthy squirt of food coloring if you want your explosion to have a color.

4

Mix together some yeast. Mix 1 tablespoon (14.8 ml) of dried yeast with 3 tablespoons (44.4 ml) of water in a separate, small bowl.

5

Pour the yeast into the soda bottle. Pour it in quickly and stand back!

6

Kaboom! The yeast and the hydrogen peroxide will combine to make an explosion of foam. Be careful, this reaction is exothermic, which means it creates heat. Don't touch the foam right away because it will be hot!

Using Ivory Soap

1

Get a bar of Ivory soap. It needs to be Ivory specifically and it needs to be fresh and unused.

2

Cut up the soap. Cut the bar of soap into about 6 pieces. You might need an adult's help to cut the bar safely, but it shouldn't be too hard. Just use a butter knife and cut it into 6 pieces.

3

Put the pieces on a plate. Put the pieces of soap onto a microwave-safe plate or a piece of wax paper.

4

Microwave the plate. Microwave the plate of soap for about 1 1/2 minutes.

5

Watch your soap explode. Watch the soap as it goes through the microwave and you will see it grow to enormous size!

Using Diet Coke and Mentos

1

Get a large soda. Get a large bottle (2 liter, preferably) of Diet Coke or Diet A&W root beer.

The aspartame in the "diet" variety is needed to make the reaction work well, so don't try it with regular sodas.[2]

Use a soda that is fresh and has not been opened before. A "flat" soda will make a smaller explosion.

2

Get your explosive material. Usually mint, Original Mentos are used for this experiment, but you can also use rock salt.

Try experimenting with lots of different highly porous materials, as the porous surface is what makes the reaction occur. Can you make a bigger explosion?

3

Add the material to the soda. Open the soda bottle and drop in the Mentos or rock salt.

4

Stand back! A giant geyser of soda will explode up into the air! Be careful or you'll end up taking a shower in Coke!

Method2

For Grown-Ups

Using Ammonium Dichromate

1

Get some ammonium dichromate. You'll need 20 grams (0.71 oz) of ammonium dichromate. Find your local chemical supply company to get your hands on some.

2

Fill a deep tray with sand. Get some basic sand and fill a deep tray or pan with the sand. Place this tray and do the experiment under a running ventilation hood.

3

Add the ammonium dichromate. Make a pile of ammonium dichromate at the center of the sand.

4

Add some lighter fluid. Put a small amount of lighter fluid at the center of the pile.

5

Light it. Using a match, light the pile where the lighter fluid is.

6

Watch the reaction. It takes time for the reaction to build but eventually it will look like an erupting volcano!

Using Dry Ice

1

Get some dry ice. You won't need much. Just a few small chunks for each boom you want to create.

2

Get some plastic water bottles. Get a few plastic water bottles. The medium strength plastic is best.

3

Put some water in the bottles. Fill the bottle about halfway with warm water.

4

Put the dry ice in the water bottle. Drop a few chunks into the plastic water bottle. You will want to do this outside in an area away from other people and with some kind of cover. This is a very dangerous explosion.

5

Cap the bottle. Quickly, tightly cap the water bottle and set the bottle down in the explosion area.

6

Get out of the way. Quickly get to a safe location. The gas buildup will cause the bottle to explode and you can easily hurt yourself very badly.

Using Liquid Nitrogen

1

Get a large space. This is a very large, dangerous explosion so you'll need a very large space.

2

Get your supplies. You'll need a very large plastic garbage can (of good quality), 5-ish gallons of warm water, a water bottle, liquid nitrogen, and some fun exploding material (packaging peanuts/ping pong balls/etc).

3

Pour the warm water into the bottom of the garbage can.

4

Pour the liquid nitrogen into the water bottle. Using a funnel, fill the bottle a third of the way. Do NOT cap the bottle until you are ready.

5

Cap the bottle tightly. Very quickly, cap the bottle tightly and place it in the warm water.

6

Pour in the extra material. The instant you place the nitrogen in the water, someone else should be pouring in the ping pong balls or other fun material.

7

RUN. Get out of the way and be sure to cover your ears with muffs or flat hands!

If the water bottle cracks or is capped incorrectly, the explosion will not go off. Wait at least ten minutes before approaching to check the water bottle and be very careful when handling it.

Community Q&A

If you mix a little bit of sodium hydroxide, drain cleaner, with aluminium foil in a large bottle, it will create a gas. If you capture the gas in a balloon, and put it next to a fire, it will create a massive fiery explosion which will easily shake your house if you are doing it in your backyard.

Probably the dry ice or liquid nitrogen. These two are highly comparable since they have the most reaction force in the smallest space. However, you can make any of them louder by either using larger quantities (make sure you use a ratio to retain the same formula) or containing the reaction in a smaller, sealed container.\